Freshman Gina Li earned Most Valuable Player honors for the Knights last season. She compiled a team-best 16-5 overall record and and 9-1 conference record in singles play. Head coach Ben Bucca thinks she can get even better this year.

On a day when temperatures reached more than 90 degrees, the Rutgers tennis team fought both the heat and NJIT yesterday in a scrimmage at the Rutgers Tennis Complex. “The ladies had to play in a very challenging environment,” said head coach Ben Bucca. “We really played some good tennis, and clearly won a majority of the matches against a team that was returning all of its players from last year.”

Determined, hardworking and confident are just a few words the Rutgers tennis team coaches use to describe senior Vanessa Petrini.But head coach Ben Bucca believes there is one trait Petrini possesses which separates her from the rest of the athletes.

The Rutgers tennis team opens up its fall schedule today at 2 p.m. at the Rutgers Tennis Complex. The Scarlet Knights will face the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders in a scrimmage that will focus on preparing the players for the upcoming season.

Senior Vanessa Petrini is one of several whom Head Coach Ben Bucca has tried to develop. Bucca, who sports a 132-94 record with Rutgers, said 99 percent of his players have played their best tennis their senior year.

Rutgers head tennis coach Ben Bucca is no stranger to the tennis courts at the University. Raised in central New Jersey, Bucca is used to seeing the block ‘R’ hanging all over campus. “The timeline of my life has been on these same tennis courts,” Bucca said.

After a 14-9 overall and 8-4 record in the Big East last season, the Rutgers tennis team is anticipating an even better one this fall. While there are not as many fall matches, head coach Ben Bucca believes the Scarlet Knights’ improvements last season should carry into a strong season ahead.

With no departing players from this year’s edition of the Rutgers tennis team, the Scarlet Knights want to improve on this season’s winning record. The return of their full starting roster may be a recipe for success next year for the Knights. But Rutgers will shift around players to different positions from where they were at this year.

Freshman Gina Li wants to improve on a strong rookie campaign in which she went 16-5 overall and 9-1 in Big East play. She said a new recruit has the potential to positively change the team dynamic next year as RU aims to improve.

The Rutgers tennis team (14-9, 8-4) finished its season this past weekend after a loss in the quarterfinal round to Marquette, 4-0, in the Big East Tournament. There were a few questions about this Scarlet Knights team entering the season, as the Knights possessed a young team.

The Rutgers tennis team finished their season this weekend at the Big East Championships after losses to Louisville and Marquette. The Scarlet Knights would see a familiar opponent Saturday in No. 8-seeded Marquette. Rutgers beat Marquette, 5-2, earlier in the season. Marquette would surprise the Knights in this match, sweeping them with a score of 4-0.

The Rutgers tennis team opened up the Big East Championship with a 4-2 victory against St. John’s. The match was closer than the Scarlet Knights wanted it to be, but they were able to fight through to move the team into the next round of tournament play.

The Rutgers tennis team was named the No. 6 seed for the Big East Championships after the seedings yesterday were announced. The Scarlet Knights will open the tournament against No. 11 seeded St. John’s. “We were pretty happy with getting the sixth seed and thought it was fair,” said freshman Gina Li.

After the Rutgers tennis team’s regular season concluded with Saturday’s 7-0 win against Georgetown, the Scarlet Knights shifted their focus to the postseason. The Big East Championships will take place from April 18-21 in Tampa, hosted by South Florida. Rutgers finished its regular season with a 13-7 overall record and a 7-3 record in conference play.

Junior Stefania Balasa said that Rutgers has a chance to do well in the Big East Championships, which take place April 18-21. She is currently 7-3 this season in singles action and 4-1 in Big East play.

The Rutgers tennis team finished its regular season Saturday with a dominant victory against Georgetown. The Scarlet Knights swept the Hoyas, 7-0, in an important Big East match in Washington, D.C. Rutgers understood the strong implications of this match on its final seeding in the Big East Championships, and the Knights were focused on playing a competitive match going in.